The good folks at Waterview Investments LLC, whoever they might be, probably have a grand scheme for a stretch of old railroad land near the confluence of the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers; chances are the plan doesn’t call for a bait shop.

Too bad, because if they’re really paying attention to the Greater Des Moines Water Trails engineering study, WI, as we’ll call it, will notice that two areas just below the Scott Avenue dam are specifically designated as fish habitat, and no more than just a few dozen yards away from the property. Probably a good bet WI has set eyes on the study. 

WI paid $165,000 to Union Pacific Railroad Co. for a little more than one-half acre of abandoned rail line that ends at a long-gone railroad bridge. It’s a tight piece of property that sits on the edge of Bici Lofts and across Southeast First Street from Mulletts restaurant. If WI wants to build apartments on the spot, it will have to spend some money on an environmental cleanup, according to the deed.

According to the water trails engineering study, the land leads to what is called “the nature connection” just downstream from the Scott Avenue dam. An illustration shows a parking area, probably on land owned by the city of Des Moines, a portage area for canoers and kayakers, two drop zones that will create some excitement for said canoers and kayakers, a fish bypass and, finally, fish habitat. The in-river improvements have an estimated cost of $16.5 million.

Overall, the water trails plan carries a price tag of up to $117 million. The folks at WI — in case you haven’t been let in on the secret, you can keep your name off public records and out of the paper by forming a limited liability company (LLC) to do things such as buying property or building a medical office building, for example — and others more than likely will cash in on some of that funding. It’s nice to know that fish have been given some consideration, too. Read more about the regional water trails plan https://bit.ly/2yjFXHp.